Semovar Early-Adopter Issues Resolved?

[SINphul]

Hey guys, I'm in the market for my next APV, which may or may not be the SM Semovar. I've read that some of the initial batches had issues with random error codes and battery life/low issues (when in fact the battery still had plenty of juice in it), but that SM was committed to resolving them.

My question is, have these issues been resolved? Is it a killer device, or is my money best spent elsewhere? I know that for the false battery empty warning, there is a workaround to remove the battery and put it back in to keep vaping, but for $215 I really shouldn't have to do that...

 

[ethermion]

My observation was that the battery was sagging under load, throwing the error code. Removing, then re-installing tightened up the battery contacts. Some have flipped the bottom battery connector with good results. Many, many others report no issues at all and are happy.

Mine shows up on Monday. I will repost after a battery or two.

 

[Miata GT]

I haven't noticed anything unusual with mine using 18350 batteries over the last few weeks. I did flip the bottom battery connector just because it makes no sense to me to adjust to battery length with an available spring.

 

[SINphul]

I decided to hold off on the Semovar for now and got a Dicodes Dani Extreme L instead. But I'd still love to hear what your thoughts are after you go through a few vape sessions with it, ethermion. I love the specs, but the battery issues and leaking problems I keep hearing about scare me.

 

[ethermion]

Deal. I would be very happy to share my impressions of the Sermovar, and would also be equally delighted to hear about the Dicodes. I looked at the Dicodes, but decided for no good reason to go Semovar. Maybe in the future... both. See you here on this thread next week.

 

[ethermion]

How did you get the dicodes? The web site says that they do not ship to the U.S.

 

[SINphul]

I got lucky and found a German vape shop owner who was kind enough to sell me one and ship to the US in a private sale. If you want I can PM you the shop's email address.

 

[ethermion]

Sure! PM me. Though I won't do anything until your review! Saw Todd's review, but Todd always struck me as one sandwich short of a picnic. Not sure why he is so popular. Hopefully you will have a more thoughtful (and more brief) opinion.

 

[ethermion]

Well, the Semovar has been in my hands since Tuesday a.m. So far, I am pretty happy. The menu system takes a few minutes to figure out, but it works just fine. Still early to pass complete judgment, but battery life seems fine. I have been running 12-15W for over 24 hours of regular vaping, including a few dry burns testing a new coil. It reports 3.7V, 3.4V under load. These are Panasonic 3400mah batteries. If I can get a solid day, I am quite satisfied.

Fit and finish is pretty outstanding. It is a solid piece, with just the right heft to feel good in your hands. It seems to hit better than my old eVic at the same power level. Very happy.

More later. I'm vaping 36mg in my new Kayfun, and frankly I am feeling a bit trashed.

 

[SINphul]

Oh man, 36mg on a Kayfun? I get a crazy good buzz on 18mg on mine, so I can only imagine what 36 feels like

Still waiting on my Dani vape mail


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[ethermion]

36mg is a crazy bad buzz. I about ripped my wife's head off when she got home. I never ever do that. I only have two low nic juices and wanted to see how other flavors did in the Kayfun. Definitely need to not do that again.

KFL looks great on top of the Semovar. But, when I got everything adjusted to flush fit the Kayfun, the air hole is directly above the screen, and I keep covering it with my finger giving me dry hits. Modest efforts to get it adjusted elsewhere were unsuccessful. Might have been the bad nic buzz making me stupid, but that needs to be fixed.

The Semovar went t!t$ up with 3.75V on the battery - lots of life left. It was reporting 3.3V under load just before giving up. Read in another thread to strip it down and clean everything with soap and water and a bottle brush. Will try that and report back. Reportedly, it will show only a .1V difference under load which would be completely within my expectations and should easily do a day and a half on the pannys.

Happy enough so far that I am shopping for a sticker, and a few more of the accessories.

Is the Dani coming FedEx? Has it made it to the US yet? Sure hope so. Semovar in the hand is worth more than a Dani in the post. And I am going to keep posting about mine...

 

[SINphul]

Sucks about the battery issues. It seems so rampant for Semovar owners, that I'm surprised SM hasn't done closer testing on the devices before shipping. Hope the cleaning fixes it up for you.

As for me, the Dani is coming via DHL. I'm on day 7 of an estimated 12 day ship time. Looks like I'll have to wait until next week, but I've got my trusty Provari to hold me over


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[ethermion]

Battery issue is not that big. Just finished off another battery, and still getting a full day+. Cleaning the mod did nothing, except get it wet and stop me from vaping for a few minutes. Really torquing the end cap down did make a difference. Got .1V difference now. We will see what that means. As it stands, I am getting about the same life as with my untrusty old eVic. It may just be the extra info from the chip is giving anxiety.

I work from home, with a pile of batteries and the charger between me and the beer-fridge. No worries. Just a puzzle I have yet to master. If I got out to party, I will just pop in a new panny and not worry about it, even if I have to crash on the floor and bug out the next day.

Got a bunch of accessories in my cart at shop.svoemesto.ru. Waiting for Putin to do something more stupid for the ruble to fall further before pulling the trigger. The .ru site is the only one with the sticker that ships the to US.

If DHL has it in hand, it will show up. Waiting for vapemail sucks. The .ru site says 2-4 weeks for delivery by soviet post. Another reason I have not done checkout on my cart.

 

[CasketWeaver]

My Semovar showed up a few days ago - bad Nivel chip. The control body got hot - threw the E1 error and now all I get are E3 errors. Seen a bit of smoke in the window too. I contacted the shop I bought it from, hopefully their honest about the support. And I hear something soon. I've read quite a few things about the Semovar - all pretty decent with the exception of the battery issues and DOA Nivel chips. So now I need to get my hands on some Nivel chips in hopes of rebuilding the Semovar. Looks like anyone that bought the Semovar in its infant state can now pick up the parts to get it up to speed. But I don't know if SM is going to be shipping or selling the Nivel chip as a stand alone product. I would hope so, and also hope that the chip wouldn't run as much as the entire device itself. Plus the chip is user serviceable so that's a plus. Still waiting on my KFL+ - will probably be here Monday.

 

[ethermion]

The Nivel chip is custom packaging for the Semovar, so somehow board has to come from SvoeMesto. Hopefully your vendor comes through. From whom did you buy? Not too many legit vendors out there. Smoking chips was a known problem, and they pulled back the stock from legit vendors.

So far, very happy with mine.

KFL+ absolutely rocks. Just make sure you are running low nic juice. We don't want anyone to get hurt, do we?

Just for curiosity, what is printed on the end of the battery cap?

 

[SINphul]

@ethermion, I've heard flipping the bottom battery screw so that the spring is exposed at the top and the flat brass part at the bottom might net some extra battery life. Not sure how much truth there is to that though.

@CasketWeaver, sucks to hear that about your mod. Hopefully they come through for you with a replacement Nivel chip. If not, I think you can contact SM directly, and they'll sort you out.

 

[ethermion]

Flipping the battery screw is not that helpful. I went back to the stock arrangement, with it setup very tight. 3.9V now, 3.8V under load. All good. Still not sure that the voltage under load reading is nothing more than a source of neurosis. I can get a full day on a single battery, and anything more is unnecessary. I'm swapping the battery out anyway.

 

[Ref Minor]

. But I don't know if SM is going to be shipping or selling the Nivel chip as a stand alone product. I would hope so, and also hope that the chip wouldn't run as much as the entire device itself. Plus the chip is user serviceable so that's a plus. Still waiting on my KFL+ - will probably be here Monday.

I think I have seen Nivel chips selling for about $65-70 for modding.

 

[ethermion]

I think I have seen Nivel chips selling for about $65-70 for modding.

Indeed. Variable Wattage Power Regulation With A Brilliant One-Button User Interface Is Finally Available in the USA | The Nivel Chip , but they will not fit the Semovar. The Semovar is a custom build

 

[ethermion]

Just in case anyone heeds my advice. Really torquing down the battery tube deforms the top of your battery. I have transformed two flat top pannys to concave top. They still work, but torque is definitely not the answer. Current battery is showing 0.5V drop. Still getting a full day on a charge, but this puzzle is not solved.